Pop Up Prism Lens Assembly

ABSTRACT

A pop up prism camera ( 10 ) having a pop up prism lens assembly ( 11 ). A first lens assembly ( 14 ), a second lens assembly ( 18 ), and a prism assembly ( 21 ) are moved in relationship to a camera housing ( 12 ) controlled by a cam tube ( 20 ). The prism assembly ( 21 ) projects outside the camera housing ( 12 ) when the pop up prism camera ( 10 ) is in an operational configuration. A prism ( 100 ) of the prism assembly ( 21 ) redirects an optical path ( 48 ). A non-angled portion ( 44 ) of a first cam groove ( 30 ) causes the prism assembly ( 21 ) to remain fixed relative to the camera housing ( 12 ) while continued rotation of the cam tube ( 20 ) allows the first lens assembly ( 14 ) and the second lens assembly ( 18 ) to continue to move to accomplish a lens zoom function.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/157,996 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,350,950), filed Jun. 16, 2008 bythe same inventor, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/884,869 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,388,613) filed Jul. 2, 2004 by thesame inventor, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of camera devicesand lens assemblies therefore, and more particularly to a novelconcealable lens assembly for use primarily in digital cameras. Thepredominant current application for the inventive pop up prism lensassembly is in the production of high quality digital cameras, whereinsmall size, rugged construction and cost are all important factors.

2. Description of the Background Art

It is known in the art to use one or more prisms to redirect the opticalpath in a camera. Among other advantages, the use of a prism oftenallows the designer to make the camera package more compact than anentirely linear optical path would permit. Since positioning of theprism in relation to other lens components is critical in a high qualitycamera, it has been thought that the prism should be rigidly affixedwithin the camera housing. Also, it is believed that, prior to thepresent invention, there has been no apparent advantage in causing theprism to be movable within the camera housing.

It is also known in the prior art to provide a means to manually and/orautomatically cover a camera lens when it is not in use. Usually, thismeans has included some sort of lens cap. Modern innovations inelectronic cameras have included lenses which automatically retract whenthe camera is turned off, and this sort of arrangement is oftenaccompanied by some sort of automatic closure mechanism which covers theopening into which the lens retracts.

It is also known in the prior art to use a drum type cam device to movelenses, as needed, within a camera. U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,989, issued toKawanishi, et al., teaches an example of such a device.

It would be advantageous to have a method and or means to protect thelens of a camera, when it is not is use, which contributes to making thecamera smaller and lighter, rather than requiring extra components andthereby making the camera larger, heavier, and more expensive toconstruct. It would also be advantageous to have a method and or meansto protect the lens of a camera when it is not is use which provides areliable relationship between surfaces of optical components in the lenssystem. It would also be advantageous to have a camera apparatus whichwould be simpler, more rugged, less expensive and/or optically superiorto known prior art devices.

To the inventor's knowledge, no prior art device has successfullyachieved the above described objectives. All prior art apparatus forretracting and/or protecting lens assemblies have negatively contributedto the size, weight and/or complexity of the camera, or else have notbeen as rugged and reliable as might be desired. All prior art apparatusfor bringing camera optics into a “ready” position and/or forpositioning a telephoto lens element have required relatively complex,large and expensive mechanisms, and a separate mechanism has beenrequired to perform each of these functions.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide acamera lens apparatus which is well protected when the camera is not inuse.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera lensapparatus which is quick and easy to bring into operational positionfrom a stored position.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cameralens apparatus which is quick and easy to put into a stored positionfrom an operational position.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cameralens apparatus which is compact in size and light in weight.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cameralens apparatus which is rugged and reliable in operation.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cameralens apparatus which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cameralens apparatus which provides a high degree of protection to opticalcomponents when the lens apparatus is in a stored position.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cameralens apparatus which provides a consistent and accurate associativerelationship between the optical components thereof.

Briefly, an example of the present invention has an objective lensassembly which moves in and out of a camera by the rotation of a drumcam apparatus. Movement of the objective lens assembly is along aplurality of guide rods. At the distal end of the objective lensassembly a prism redirects the optical path. The prism is positionedsuch that, when the objective lens assembly and attached prism arewithdrawn into the camera, the only surface of the prism which isexposed to the exterior is the one surface that is not in the opticalpath of the camera. Optionally, an additional cover can be affixed tothe prism which occludes an opening into which the prism retracts.Movement of the optical lens components and the prism is controlled bythe rotation of a drum type cam apparatus. Provision is made in theshape of cam grooves such that the prism can come into a fulloperational position and stay there even as the cam continues to rotateto provide a telescopic zoom function in the lens components. Accordingto a described embodiment of the invention, the cam is generallycomprised of two longitudinally divided portions, one of which serves toselectively bring the camera optics into a “ready” position and toreturn the optics to a stored position. The other cam portion serves tohold certain portions of the optics in the ready position while othercertain portions are selectively moved to change the lens systemmagnification factor, as desired by the user.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description ofmodes of carrying out the invention, and the industrial applicabilitythereof, as described herein and as illustrated in the several figuresof the drawing. The objects and advantages listed or discussed hereinare not an exhaustive list of all possible objects or advantages of theinvention. Moreover, it will be possible to practice the invention evenwhere one or more of the intended objects and/or advantages might beabsent or not required in the application.

Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that variousembodiments of the present invention may achieve one or more, but notnecessarily all, of the above described objects and/or advantages.Accordingly, the objects and advantages listed and/or discussed hereinare not essential elements of the present invention, and should not beconstrued as limitations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional side elevational view of acamera having an example of the inventive pop up prism lens assemblyaccording to the present invention, showing the device in a openedposition;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the pop up prism lensassembly of FIG. 1 showing the lens assembly in a ready position;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the pop up prism lensassembly of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the lens assembly in a closedposition; and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional side elevation view of acamera, similar to the view of FIG. 1 except that the device is shown ina closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is described in the following description with referenceto the Figures, in which like numbers represent the same or similarelements. While this invention is described in terms of modes forachieving the objectives of this invention, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view ofthese teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of thepresent invention. The embodiments and variations of the inventiondescribed herein, and/or shown in the drawings, are presented by way ofexample only and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention.Unless otherwise specifically stated, individual aspects and componentsof the invention may be omitted or modified, or may have substitutedtherefore known equivalents, or as yet unknown substitutes such as maybe developed in the future or such as may be found to be acceptablesubstitutes in the future. The invention may also be modified for avariety of applications while remaining within the spirit and scope ofthe claimed invention, because the range of potential applications isgreat, and because it is intended that the present invention beadaptable to many such variations.

A known mode for carrying out the invention is a pop up prism camera.The inventive pop up prism camera 10 is depicted in a side elevationalview in FIG. 1 and is designated therein by the general referencecharacter 10. The pop up prism camera 10 includes an example of theinventive pop up prism lens assembly 11 in a camera housing 12. Thecamera housing 12 will contain additional components customary to thefunction of a camera, such as a view finder or electronic user display,operator control devices, and the like, all of which will be familiar tothose skilled in the art. Except as specifically discussed herein, suchadditional components are not relevant to the present invention and willnot be shown in the view of FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. FIGS. 2 and3 are different perspective views of the pop up prism lens assembly 11introduced in FIG. 1, showing the pop up prism lens assembly 11 in“ready” and “closed” positions, respectively. The following descriptionof the pop up prism lens assembly 11 will be in reference to all ofFIGS. 1 through 3, since it will be desirable to view some aspects ofthe invention from all three of these views.

As can be seen in the view of FIG. 1, the pop up prism lens assembly 11has a first (distal) lens assembly 14, a field lens 15, a sensor 16 anda second (proximal) lens assembly 18. The first lens assembly 14 and thesecond lens assembly 18 are, respectively, the front and rear elementsof a telephoto lens as will be discussed in more detail hereinafter. Thesensor 16 is the electronic sensor array of the digital pop up prismcamera 10. The field lens 15 is the lens closest to the sensor 16 whichprojects an image from the pop up prism lens assembly 11 onto the sensor16. One skilled in the art will recognize that the sensor 16 can be ofessentially any type now known or yet to be developed. In the example ofFIG. 1, the sensor 16 is a CCD image sensor. It is within the scope ofthe invention that the sensor 16 could also be a photographic film, orthe like.

The first lens assembly 14 and the second lens assembly 18 move along atleast one (two in this present example) of guide rods 19 under thecontrol of a cam tube 20, as will be discussed in greater detailhereinafter. A prism assembly 21 is also movably affixed along the guiderods 19. It should be noted that mechanical apparatus for rotating thecam tube 20 is conventional in nature and is omitted from the view ofFIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. It is anticipated that the cam tube 20can be rotated either manually (e.g., a thumb-wheel), or else by anelectric motor controlled by an on/off switch and/or by a “zoom” buttonon the camera housing 12. In the example of FIGS. 1 through 3, the camtube 20 is powered through a gear assembly by a high speed electricmotor (not shown), although it is within the scope of the invention thatthe cam tube 20 could be powered by a stepper motor, or essentially anyother type of motive apparatus that might be adapted to the purpose.

The first lens assembly 14 is guided along an inner guide rod 19 a andan outer guide rod 19 b by a first guide assembly 22. A first innerguide bushing 24 of the first guide assembly 22 slidably fits over theinner guide rod 19 a, and a first outer guide bushing 26 of the firstguide assembly 22 slidably fits over the outer guide rod 19 b. A firstcam follower 28 fits into and follows a first cam groove 30 in the camtube 20.

The second lens assembly 18 is guided along the inner guide rod 19 a andthe outer guide rod 19 b by a second guide assembly 32. A second innerguide bushing 34 of the second guide assembly 32 slidably fits over theinner guide rod 19 a, and a second outer guide bushing 36 of the secondguide assembly 32 slidably fits over the outer guide rod 19 b. A secondcam follower 38 fits into and follows a second cam groove 40 in the camtube 20.

The prism assembly 21 is guided along the inner guide rod 19 a and theouter guide rod 19 b by a third guide assembly 42. A third inner guidebushing 44 of the third guide assembly 42 slidably fits over the innerguide rod 19 a, and a third outer guide bushing 46 of the third guideassembly 42 slidably fits over the outer guide rod 19 b. A third camfollower 48 fits into and follows a third cam groove 50 in the cam tube20.

As can be appreciated in light of the foregoing description of the popup prism camera 10, it can be seen that the first lens assembly 14selectively moves toward or away from the sensor 16 as the cam tube 20is rotated, and further that the second lens assembly 18 alsoselectively moves toward or away from the sensor 16 as the cam tube 20is rotated. As can also be seen by comparing the views of FIGS. 1through 3, the third cam groove 50 has an angled portion 52 (FIG. 1) anda non-angled portion 54 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Accordingly, as the third camfollower 48 moves along angled portion 52 of the third cam groove 50 theprism assembly 21 will move inward and outward as described above.However, when the third cam follower 48 reaches the non-angled portion54 of the third cam groove 50 then, even though the cam tube 20 maycontinue to rotate, the prism assembly 21 will remain relatively fixedin relationship to the camera housing 12. Note that a small portion ofthe angled portion 52 of the third cam groove, with the third camfollower 48 therein, can also be seen in the view of FIG. 3.

As can be seen in the view of FIG. 1, the second cam groove 40 also hasa non-angled portion 54 a such that the second lens assembly 18 willstop advancing along the rear movement arrow 62 even as the cam tube 20continues to rotate when the second cam follower 38 is in that portionof the second cam groove 40. This will tend to prevent the second lensassembly 18 from coming to an abrupt halt as the second lens assembly 18reaches what would otherwise be the end of the second cam groove 40.

Similarly, as the cam tube 20 is rotated, the first lens assembly 14will selectively move into an operational position (as depicted in FIGS.1 and 2) with the prism assembly 21. Also, as the cam tube 20 continuesto rotate, the second lens assembly 18 will selectively move toward oraway from first lens assembly 14 to accomplish the zoom function. In theexample of the invention presently described, the movement of the secondlens assembly 18 relative to the first lens assembly 14 will accomplishapproximately a fourfold change in the magnification power of the pop upprism lens assembly 11, otherwise known as a 4× zoom function. Oneskilled in the art will recognize that coordinated movement of both thefirst lens assembly and the second lens assembly 18 relative to botheach other and to the fixed field lens 15 will accomplish the zoomfunction while keeping the image focused on the sensor 16. As can alsobe seen by a comparison of the views of FIGS. 1 through 3, in thisembodiment of the invention, the first cam groove is 30 more greatlyelongated along the length of the cam tube 20 than is the second camgroove 40 such that, as the cam tube 20 is rotated, the first lensassembly 14 will move a greater distance than will the second lensassembly 18.

Focus of the pop up prism lens assembly 11 can optionally beaccomplished by rotating a focus ring 56 (FIG. 1). The focus ring 56 isnot significantly different from similar mechanisms in prior artdevices. The focus ring 56 can, optionally, be moved manually (via anoptional manual adjustment mechanism, not shown) or else the focus ring56 can be rotated by an electric motor controlled by a focus control onthe exterior of the camera housing 12.

Also shown in the view of FIG. 1 is an optical path 58 along which lighttravels through the prism assembly 21, through the first lens assembly14, through the second lens assembly 18, through the field lens 15 andinto the sensor 16. As previously described, movement of the first lensassembly 14 will be inward and outward as indicated by a front movementarrow 60, and movement of the second lens assembly 18 will be inward andoutward as indicated by a rear movement arrow 62.

As can be appreciated in light of the above discussion, the pop up prismcamera 10 is depicted in the view of FIG. 1 in an opened (ready)position, with the prism assembly 21 generally outside the limits of thecamera housing 12. FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross sectional sideelevational view of the pop up prism camera 10, similar to the view ofFIG. 1, except that the camera 10 is depicted in the view of FIG. 4 in astored (closed) position with the prism assembly 21 generally inside thelimits of the camera housing 12, and further with the first lensassembly 14 and the second lens assembly 18 drawn relatively near toeach other.

In the view of FIG. 3 it can be seen that the prism assembly 21 has aprism 100 which is protected by prism housing 102. When the prismassembly 21 is withdrawn into the camera housing 12 (FIG. 4) then theprism housing 102 generally occludes an opening 104 in the camerahousing 12 through which the prism assembly 21 can be moved to projectoutside the camera housing 12, thereby protecting the prism 100 andfurther preventing foreign objects from entering into the camera housing12.

Referring now to the view of FIG. 2, it can be seen that, in theembodiment of the invention described, the cam tube 20 has a firstoperational portion 110 and a second operational portion 112, each ofwhich, in this presently described embodiment, occupy approximately halfof the circumference of the cam tube 20. Of course, the slope of the camgrooves 30, 40 and 50 could be made greater, such that less than a full360 degree rotation of the cam tube 20 would be required to move throughthe entire operational range thereof. In such an embodiment, each of thefirst operational portion 110 and the second operational portion 112would take up generally less than half of the circumference of the camtube 30. Similarly, the slope of the cam grooves 30, 40 and 50 could bemade such that more than one full rotation of the cam tube 20 would berequired to move the pop up prism lens assembly 11 through its entireoperational range. In such an example, the first operational portion 110and the second operational portion 112 would overlap about thecircumference of the cam tube. These are but some of the possiblevariations in the shape of the cam tube 20 and the cam grooves 30, 40and 50 thereon, which might be employed to adapt the invention to aparticular application. In any of these configurations, it is an aspectof the present invention that there will be a portion of the cam tube 20such that, when the cam followers 28, 38 and 48 follow therein, then theelements of the pop up prism lens assembly will be brought into the“ready” position, as described above. Further, there will be a portionof the cam tube 20 such that, when the cam followers 28, 38 and 48follow there, then the prism assembly 21 will remain in the “ready”position while other elements of the pop up prism lens assembly 11continue to move, as required, to change the lens configuration (such asto change the magnification factor, as described herein).

In the view of FIG. 3 it can also be seen that, to save space andweight, the cam tube 20 can be made such that it has a hollow center120. In such an application, the hollow center 120 can optionally beused to house a battery 122, a flash capacitor (not shown) or othercamera components, as required.

Various modifications may be made to the invention without altering itsvalue or scope. For example, the sizes, shapes and quantities ofcomponents shown and described in relation to the examples discussedherein could each or all be varied according the needs or convenience ofa particular application.

All of the above are only some of the examples of available embodimentsof the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily observethat numerous other modifications and alterations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thedisclosure herein is not intended as limiting and the appended claimsare to be interpreted as encompassing the entire scope of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The inventive pop up prism camera 10 and associated pop up prism lensassembly 11 is intended to be widely used for a variety of cameraapplications. A particular use is for mid-priced digital cameras whereincompact size, durability, picture quality, and economy are all importantfactors.

According to the presently contemplated embodiments of the presentinvention, the cam tube 20 does take up a significant amount of space.However, that space is fully utilized in that additional components,such as a battery, a capacitor for flash applications or the like, canoptionally be fitted within the cam tube 20.

The inventive apparatus as described herein has the advantage that itdoes not introduce parallax into the optical path during the zooming ofthe pop up prism lens assembly 11. Further, the apparatus describedcontributes to the creation of a small camera in that the length andoverall size is minimal, and further contributes to the creation of aninexpensive and reliable camera in that the quantity of movingcomponents is minimized.

Since the pop up prism lens assemblies 11 of the present invention maybe readily produced and integrated with existing camera sensor anddigital camera image capture and storage systems, and since theadvantages as described herein are provided, it is expected that it willbe readily accepted in the industry. For these and other reasons, it isexpected that the utility and industrial applicability of the inventionwill be both significant in scope and long-lasting in duration.

I claim:
 1. A lens assembly for a camera, the lens assembly comprising:a mechanical system; a first lens element adapted to move along anoptical path under control of the mechanical system; and an opticalelement adapted to move along the optical path under control of themechanical system, the optical element adapted to redirect the opticalpath toward the first lens element; and wherein movement of themechanical system deploys each of the optical element and the first lenselement to respective ready positions from respective stored positions;and continued movement of the mechanical system causes the first lenselement to move from the ready position while the optical elementremains at the ready position.
 2. The lens assembly of claim 1, wherein:the mechanical system includes a first contoured feature and a secondcontoured feature; movement of the first lens element is controlled bythe first contoured feature; and movement of the optical element iscontrolled by the second contoured feature.
 3. The lens assembly ofclaim 2, wherein: the second contoured feature includes a generallyspiral portion and a non-advancing portion; the optical element is inthe ready position when the optical element is controlled by thenon-advancing portion; and the generally spiral portion causes theoptical element to move between the stored position and the readyposition.
 4. The lens assembly of claim 3, wherein: the first contouredfeature includes a generally spiral portion and a non-advancing portion;and the first lens element ceases to move when the first lens element iscontrolled by the non-advancing portion of the first contoured feature.5. The lens assembly of claim 2, wherein: the mechanical system includesa drum cam; and the first contoured feature and the second contouredfeature are formed in the drum cam.
 6. The lens assembly of claim 1,further comprising: a second lens element adapted to move along theoptical path under control of the mechanical system; and wherein themovement of the mechanical system deploys the second lens element to aready position for the second lens element from a stored position forthe second lens element; and the continued movement of the mechanicalsystem causes the second lens element to move while the optical elementremains stationary.
 7. The lens assembly of claim 6, wherein: thecontinued movement of the mechanical system changes the distance betweenthe first lens element and the second lens element along the opticalpath; and changing the distance between the first lens element and thesecond lens element changes the magnification of the lens assembly. 8.The lens assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a housing defining anopening; and wherein the optical element is adapted to move through theopening to come to the ready position outside the housing from thestored position inside the housing.
 9. The lens assembly of claim 8,further comprising: a second housing at least partially surrounding theoptical element; and wherein the second housing occludes the opening inthe housing when the optical element is in the stored position.
 10. Thelens assembly of claim 1, wherein the mechanical system includes a drumcam.
 11. The lens assembly of claim 1, wherein: the drum cam is adaptedto rotate about a rotational axis; and the rotational axis is adjacentand parallel to the optical path.
 12. The lens assembly of claim 1,wherein the optical element includes a prism.
 13. The lens assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the mechanical system is an electro-mechanical system.14. A lens assembly for a camera, the lens assembly comprising: amechanical system including a first contoured feature and a secondcontoured feature; a first lens portion adapted to move along an opticalpath under control of the mechanical system; and an optical elementadapted to move along the optical path under control of the mechanicalsystem, the optical element adapted to redirect the optical path towardthe first lens portion; and wherein movement of the first lens portionis controlled by the first contoured feature; and movement of theoptical element is controlled by the second contoured feature.
 15. Thelens assembly of claim 14, wherein: the mechanical system includes adrum cam; the first contoured feature includes a first generally spiralfeature on the drum cam; and the second contoured feature includes asecond generally spiral feature on the drum cam.
 16. The lens assemblyof claim 15, further comprising: a first cam follower affixed to thefirst lens portion and adapted to follow the first generally spiralfeature; and a second cam follower affixed to the optical element andadapted to follow the second generally spiral feature.
 17. The lensassembly of claim 15, wherein the first contoured feature and the secondcontoured feature include grooves in the drum cam.
 18. The lens assemblyof claim 15, wherein: the drum cam is adapted to rotate about arotational axis; and the rotational axis is adjacent and parallel to theoptical path.
 19. The lens assembly of claim 14, wherein the secondcontoured feature includes a non-advancing portion such that the opticalelement will cease to move along the optical path when the opticalelement reaches the non-advancing portion.
 20. The lens assembly ofclaim 19, further comprising: a second lens portion adapted to movealong the optical path under control of the mechanical system; andwherein the mechanical system includes a third contoured feature; andmovement of the second lens portion is controlled by the third contouredfeature.
 21. The lens assembly of claim 20, wherein the third contouredfeature includes a non-advancing portion such that the second lensportion will cease to move along the optical path when the second lensportion reaches the second non-advancing portion.
 22. The lens assemblyof claims 20, wherein: the second lens portion can be selectively movedtoward and away from the first lens portion along the optical path; andmovement of the second lens portion changes the magnification of thelens assembly.
 23. The lens assembly of claim 14, further comprising: asecond lens portion adapted to move along the optical path under controlof the mechanical system; and wherein the mechanical system includes athird contoured feature; and movement of the second lens portion iscontrolled by the third contoured feature.
 24. The lens assembly ofclaim 23, wherein the third contoured feature includes a non-advancingportion such that the second lens portion will cease to move along theoptical path when the second lens portion reaches the non-advancingportion.
 25. The lens assembly of claim 14, wherein: the mechanicalsystem comprises a cam including the first contoured feature and thesecond contoured feature; and the cam is adapted to control the movementof the optical element and the first lens portion along the opticalpath, such that the optical element can come into a full operationalposition and stay there even as the cam continues to rotate and thefirst lens portion continues to move.
 26. The lens assembly of claim 14,further comprising: a housing defining an opening; and wherein theoptical element is adapted to move through the opening to come to aready position outside the housing from a stored position inside thehousing.
 27. The lens assembly of claim 26, further comprising: a secondhousing at least partially surrounding the optical element; and whereinthe second housing occludes the opening in the housing when the opticalelement is in the stored position.
 28. The lens assembly of claim 14,wherein at least a portion of the second contoured feature is shaped toretain the optical element stationary as the first contoured featuremoves the first lens portion.
 29. The lens assembly of claim 14, whereinthe optical element includes a prism.
 30. The lens assembly of claim 14,wherein the mechanical system is an electro-mechanical system.
 31. Alens assembly for a camera, the lens assembly comprising: a first lenselement adapted to move along an optical path; an optical elementadapted to move along the optical path, the optical element adapted toredirect the optical path toward the first lens element; and means fordeploying each of the optical element and the first lens element torespective ready positions from respective stored positions and formoving the first lens element from the ready position while maintainingthe optical element stationary in the ready position.